The irony of Matt Damon’s apathy towards James Bond: “He is a misogynist, an imperialist”
When James Bond entered public consciousness as a cinematic figure, coming to life from the pages of Ian Fleming’s novels as a suave, no-nonsense lothario, he left an indelible mark on popular culture. Sean Connery played the first iteration of 007, and since then six more actors have portrayed the spy, making the franchise one of the most successful in cinematic history.
The series emerged in the 1960s, with Bond representing the kind of man who many male viewers aspired to be. He could have any woman he wanted, possessed effortless charisma, and knew exactly how to succeed in dangerous situations through careful cool-headedness, although he didn’t hesitate to resort to violence when necessary. Many people were attracted to this character – wanting to be him or wanting to be with him – and as the series progressed, Bond continued to maintain his status as a sex symbol.
Yet, Bond is not without criticism, with many of the movies – especially those earlier in the series – receiving complaints regarding the way women are portrayed. The most common role for female actors in Bond films is playing a ‘Bond girl’, a love interest to the titular character who has considerably less autonomy and independence than those around her. Often required to wear revealing clothing, Bond girls have famously been fawned over and plastered on posters for decades, reduced to objectification.
While the newer Bond movies are considerably less sexist than they used to be, the series is still marred by a complex legacy. Many viewers find the titular character to be an outdated male archetype. Matt Damon, who plays Jason Bourne in the Bourne Identity series, has even criticised Bond, believing that the character is rather unfeminist.
Talking to The Miami Herald, Damon explained rather unforgivingly, “They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people.” The actor continued, “He’s repulsive.”
However, the irony of Damon’s statement is that the newer Bond movies have been significantly inspired by the Bourne series, which became a rival action series from the 2000s onwards. It’s understandable that Damon has reservations about the Bond series since he wants Bourne to be the more successful franchise, but he can’t exactly claim that his movies are the feminist antidote to Bond.
Viewers have pointed out that in the 2016 movie Jason Bourne, there are very few female characters, and the ones that are given adequate screen time are still portrayed as considerably less important than the men. Feminist viewers have criticised the series for having the female characters rely on the men within the films, and while on the surface the movies might not feature scantily clad ‘Bourne girls’, the female characters are still treated significantly different to the men.
Thus, for Damon to vehemently criticise the Bond series without considering the role of women in the Bourne series – or the fact that his series inspired the later Bond movies – is really quite ironic.
